your hand in mine
by champion lyra
Summary: There wasn't anything wrong. Not really. It had just been a bad dream; certainly not the end of the world. —DataStormShipping, RyokenYusaku. For Bring Ryoken Happiness Week!


**Notes**

Hello, hope everyone is doing well! Unfortunately not the next **link restart **update, I'm sorry, it's coming soon! In the meantime, please accept this DataStorm fluff for **Bring Ryoken Happiness Week **over on tumblr! This fic is for** Day 2: Comfort**! Unfortunately I wasn't able to write for every day of the week like I'd originally planned (damn you, new job, with your crappy hours and hour long commute), but I do have one other fic for this week as well, so look out for that as well!

That said, I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

"Go back to sleep." Ryoken tried his hardest to keep his voice quiet and soothing, but even he could hear the slight edge to his own words. He hadn't meant to wake his sleeping boyfriend up, but unfortunately, Yusaku was an even lighter sleeper than he was. He would wake at the slightest sound.

From beside him, Yusaku shook his head, and pushed himself up instead. "You first," he said, already far too awake for someone who had just been sleeping soundly moments before. "Or you could tell me what's wrong."

There wasn't anything wrong. Not really. It had just been a bad dream; certainly not the end of the world. Yusaku still suffered from nightmares every so often. It was to be expected. Once he cleared his head, he'd be fine to go back to sleep and get whatever remaining hours he could before work in the morning.

"It's fine, Yusaku," Ryoken said with a sigh, though he brought his hand up to brush against Yusaku's cheek. "Go back to sleep, please."

But of course, his boyfriend wasn't exactly known for listening to directions. Instead, Yusaku frowned, and grabbed Ryoken's hand in his own. "I can't sleep if you're up, anyways," he said, and Ryoken hated that he knew he was right. "So just tell me what's wrong. It's easier."

There were only two options in the situation, and Ryoken knew it. He could sit there and argue with Yusaku over it until sunrise, which would serve neither of them well, or he could just give in to his boyfriend's demands and explain the dream away. Both sounded like horrible options at the moment, but Ryoken was aware it was just his pride getting the better of him. He'd never questioned Yusaku's nightmares, or thought differently of him because he still suffered through them. It was ridiculous that he thought that Yusaku would somehow think less of him.

Frowning, Ryoken tried to take his hand back, but Yusaku just tightened his grip. "Do I have to?" He asked, nearly cringing at how his own voice sounded. He hated sounding so petulant.

"Yes." Yusaku's response was immediate. "I don't like it when you bottle things up."

They'd only been together - officially together, at least - for two years, but their history made it impossible for them to not be closer than the average couple. They were still very closed off people, and Ryoken doubted that would ever change, but Yusaku always made an effort to open himself up to Ryoken. He'd tried, of course, to match the level of trust and sincerity Yusaku put into everything he did, but he knew he still had too many roadblocks. Too much pride to be as honest as he wanted to be.

Tonight, though, he supposed he could yield; if only a little bit. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers with Yusaku for the remainder of the night.

Giving Yusaku's hand a squeeze, Ryoken couldn't help but smile a bit. If anyone ever asked, he'd say Yusaku's incredible stubbornness drove him up the wall, but in reality, it was one of his favorite qualities. "Fine," he said after a moment. "It was just a stupid nightmare, though. Nothing to get upset over."

Yusaku rolled his eyes, inching himself closer to where Ryoken sat on the edge of the bed. "If that were true, I wouldn't have to fight you to tell me about it," he said, definitely teasing a little. "But go ahead."

Taking a deep breath, Ryoken nodded. "You died," he mumbled out, closing his eyes as he spoke. "I was too cowardly to call soon enough. And when I went to go talk to you that day, you were…" Ryoken trailed off, his hand that wasn't holding Yusaku's gripping the blankets tightly.

It was a stupid thing to dream about. Yusaku was, clearly, not dead, and sitting right next to him on their shared bed in their shared space, right outside the Den City center. He _had _betrayed his father, and made the phone call that saved not one, but six children's lives. It was horrible to think what might've happened if his eight year old self hadn't made that call, but it was pointless. It wasn't reality.

That unfortunately didn't stop Ryoken from dreaming about it, every so often.

"I'm here," Yusaku reminded him, pushing himself against Ryoken's back. "You did the right thing, back then. You made the right choice."

"I _know_," Ryoken said, wishing he could let go of the blankets to drag a hand through his hair. "That's why it's stupid, I told you. Go back to bed."

Instead of listening to him, however, Yusaku took his hand back from Ryoken's to snake his arms around his waist. "It's not stupid," he argued, and Ryoken could feel him shaking his head. "You don't think my nightmares are stupid."

"That's different." It _was_. Yusaku was traumatized. Yusaku had been a victim. He was… not. If anything, he was an assistant to his father - whether he knew it or not at his young age. "Let's go back to sleep."

Of course, things were never that easy. "It's not different," Yusaku said firmly. "I won't go back to sleep until you get that." Ryoken opened his mouth to retort, but Yusaku cut him off. "If you keep thinking you're above having nightmares or still coming to terms with the things that happened, you're never going to heal," he continued, voice now muffled as he pushed his face more into Ryoken's back. "Let yourself be scared of things, Ryoken. You can't solve a problem you won't admit to having."

"You're not my therapist," Ryoken tried to joke, but it fell completely flat. Bringing a hand up to find Yusaku's again, he sighed. "I know, though. I'm trying."

And he really was. The fact that he'd even told Yusaku at all was a testament of that. When they'd first started living together a little over a year ago, he hadn't even stayed in bed after waking up from a nightmare. He'd leave to get coffee, or go on a walk through Den City. Anything other than staying inside and letting Yusaku know he still hadn't healed completely.

"You are," Yusaku agreed with ease. "Thank you for telling me."

Despite still trying to shake the nightmare's leftover pain and fear, the words made Ryoken's heart feel a little fuller. When they'd first gotten together, Ryoken had been so sure he wasn't good enough for Yusaku. Wasn't what the other boy _really _wanted. For months, he'd been convinced Yusaku was still seeing him through the rose colored glasses of the past; only seeing him as his voice of hope instead of the slightly broken man he was now.

And sometimes, he still saw Yusaku as that child - the child he'd wanted nothing more than to save. The child he'd risked everything to encourage. But he wanted to do right by that child, and even more so now, wanted to do right by _Yusaku_. Not just his six year old self, but the almost nineteen year old that had refused to give up on him no matter what.

"I love you," Ryoken said, twisting himself to be able to hug Yusaku properly. It was a bit awkward, and he was very nearly falling off the bed, but that was alright with him.

Even though he still struggled, the fact that this person in his arms was still there, still trying for him… Slowly, warmth overtook the discomfort the nightmare had left. Truly, he loved this person. Even when things were hard and he was unnecessarily stubborn, Yusaku was always there with some form of patience and the willingness to help. It meant more to him than he could ever say, but at least those words came close.

"I love you, too," Yusaku said, echoing the statement as he always did. Despite himself, Ryoken relaxed a bit more. It was a bit stupid, really, how happy it still made him to hear Yusaku say it - even though he'd said it countless times, at that point - but he couldn't help it. "Are you ready to go back to sleep, now?"

Untangling himself, Ryoken answered by pushing Yusaku over lightly so he was lying down. Without much care, he dropped down next to him. After a moment, he let out a hum, closing his eyes with much more peace this time around.

And when he awoke again, this time to his alarm and the smell of fresh coffee, Ryoken smiled.

* * *

**Notes**

Soft, sweet, fluffy DataStorm... just what I needed while working on **link restart **lmao. Thanks for reading, see you soon!


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